July 4

When I was growing up in the ’70s, July 4 was a nationwide non-working holiday. Officially dubbed as Philippine-American Friendship Day, I often wondered why other countries did not enjoy a similar special “BFF” (i.e., best friends forever) day. But I did not mind  for as long as there were no classes on that day.

Of course, Independence Day in the United States is celebrated on July 4. Having lived in the US in the ’90s, I was fortunate to have attended several Fourth of July barbeques. I associate the holiday with fireworks and beer, although having imbibed a fair amount of the latter, makes my memory of the former faint. But regardless of the level of intoxication (theirs and mine), one could always sense the palpable patriotic pride in the air. Houses and vehicles would sporadically display the American flag while individuals would proudly wear the stars and stripes and other symbols of liberty and freedom.

This US holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 from the Kingdom of Great Britain. In legal reality, the resolution of independence providing for the separation of the original 13 colonies was approved by the Second Continental Congress two days earlier or on July 2. However, from the outset, Americans have celebrated their independence on July 4 which is the date shown on the Declaration.

Wikipedia provides historical anecdotes about this date which are also worth remembering. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence to serve as Presidents of the United States (second and third, respectively), died on the same day: July 4, 1826. Coincidentally still, this year also marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration. Another founding father (but not a signer of the Declaration of Independence), James Monroe, who became the fifth President of the United States, passed away exactly five years later or on July 4, 1831. Not everything is morbid about this date however, as the 30th US President, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4, 1872.

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Back home, our original independence day was also pegged to July 4, 1946 as this was the date when the Treaty of General Relations and Protocol (otherwise known as the Treaty of Manila of 1946), which provided for the recognition of the independence of the Republic of the Philippines, was signed with the United States of America.

However, historians point out that our 1946 “independence” was qualified by several onerous provisions contained in the treaty. For example, the US was allowed to maintain several military bases in the country. It also required that the 1935 Constitution be amended to grant US citizens and corporations parity and equal access to Philippine minerals, forests and other natural resources. Finally, our independence was hindered by legislation passed by the US Congress such as the Bell Trade Act which prohibited the Philippines from manufacturing or selling any products that might “come into substantial competition” with US-made goods.

So from 1946 to 1961, the Philippines marked our Independence Day every July 4. However, on May 12, 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal issued Presidential Proclamation No. 28 proclaiming June 12 as a special public holiday to commemorate the date in 1898 when General Emilio Aguinaldo issued the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain. Subsequently, on August 4, 1964, Republic Act No. 4166 changed our Independence Day date from July 4 to June 12 and renamed the July 4 holiday as Philippine Republic Day.

On the other hand, the origin of Philippine-American Friendship Day can be traced to Proclamation No. 212, s.1955, of President Ramon Magsaysay which established the observance of “Philippine-American Day” every November 15, the anniversary of the inauguration of the Philippine Commonwealth. During the Marcos administration, Philippine-American Day was renamed Philippine-American Friendship Day and moved to July 4, overshadowing the observance of Philippine Republic Day. This seemed to be a historically and politically correct move as the Third Republic and the 1935 Constitution were discarded by Martial Law. In President Marcos’ Presidential Proclamation No. 2346 s.1984, reference was then made only to Philippine-American Friendship Day which was relegated to a working holiday.

Starting July 25, 1987 (pursuant to Executive Order No. 292, s. 1987, of then President Corazon Aquino), July 4 was formally taken out of the list of non-working holidays in the Philippines.

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The day after July 4, the new national executive board of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) was reconvened to tackle the challenges of the upcoming ARMM and 2013 elections. Now 21 years in the service of CHAMPioning Clean, Honest, Accurate, Meaningful and Peaceful elections and veteran of 23 electoral exercises, the organization continues to flourish under the inspiring and inspired leadership of Ambassador Tita de Villa. The new board is made up of reliable volunteers such as Dr. Zeny Rotea, Msgr. Gerry Santos, Johnny Cardenas, Ana Singson, Jun Ochangco, and your four centavos.

Also inducted were fresh recruits: former Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, former BIR Commissioner Rene Bañez, former SGV managing partner Gloria Tan-Climaco, I-technopreneur Myla Villanueva, Ateneo de Manila vice president JP Vergara, Atty. Marina Demetrio, Mel Dorotheo and Ginny Rodriguez.

What made the induction both special but at the same time daunting was the oath of service: instead of raising our right hands, we were instructed by PPCRV’s long-time spiritual adviser, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, to place the same over our hearts; and that we recited the pledge in front of more than 30 bishops of the church. This is truly one special oath that will not be taken lightly.

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“Liberty also means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” - George Bernard Shaw

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